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JOHN C. EDWARD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE F. H. HILL COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

GASKET-FASTEN ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 525,842, dated September 11, 1894.

Application filed July 9, 1894:.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, JOHN C. EDWARD, a citinen of the United States, residing at Chicago, 1n the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Irnprovement in Casket-Fasteners, which is fully set forth in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure I is a top or plan view of one end of the casket, showing a plan view of three fasteners attached. Fig. 2 is a vertical section-of a portion of the casket, taken at the line 2-2, Fig. I, looking in the direction indicated by the arrow. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a portion of the casket, showing a fastener applied thereto, looking in the direction indicated by the arrow, at line 3 3, Fig. 2. Flg. 4 is a sectional view of a portion ofy the casket, looking in the direction indicated by the arrow. Fig. 5 is a vertical section of a portion ofmthe casket, with the fastener removed from the casket cover. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a modified form of my casket fastener. Fig. 7 is a top view of the same; and Fig. 8, a top view, with the top portion of a fastener at right angles from that shown in Fig. 7.

My invention is adapted to be applied to the metallic casket shown and described in Patent No. 482,557, issued to Francis H. Hill April 27, 1892, and consists of an improvement in the fastening device or clamp by which the cover in that casket is secured in place and the casket made air-tight.

In the accompanying drawings, A represents the cover; B, the body of the casket.

C is a rubber gasket upon which the vertical rim, D, of the casket cover rests.

E, is the body of the fastener to which is rigidly secured a wooden screw, F. This screw I preferably make integral with the body of the'casket fastener.

G, is an arm or bracket which I also preferably cast with the body E of the casket fastener.

H, is a thumb-screw which passes through the arm or bracket G.

I, is a clamp through which the thumbscrew H also passes, as clearly shown in the drawings. The hole in the clamp I is not Serial No. 516,979. (No model.)

screw-threaded, but the hole in the arm or bracket G is screw-threaded.

There is a projection, J, on the top of the body E of the fastener; and there is also a projecting flange, K, on one side of the clamp I which fits against the projection .I and serves as a stop when the clamp is turned over the edge of the casket cover in the position shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4. There is also a projecting flange, L, on the clam'p I which strikes against the portion .I of the body of the fastener when the clamp is thrown off from the ange of the casket, as shown in Fig. 5.

M, is a coiled spring placed between the arm or bracket G and the clamp I surrounding the screw-threaded stein of the thumbscrew. This spring holds the clamp up against the shoulder of the thumb-screw in position where it can be readily turned over the end of the body of the fastener and also over the rim of the casket cover. When the thumbscrew is turned to press the clamp downwardly, one end resting on the end of the body of the casket fastener, the other end presses solidly on the rim of the casket cover, giving in a measure a leverage to the clamping action of the force of the thumb-screw.

When it is desired to remove the cover from the casket, the thumb-screw is turned, the screw-thread in the arm G raising the thumbscrew, thereby removing the pressure on the clamp I, when it can be readily turned on the stem of the thumb-screw from over the rim of the casket cover, but the stop, L, prevents it from turning too far. When the cover is replaced, the clamps are swung around on the stem of the thumb-screws into the position shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4. The thumb-screws are then screwed down clamping the rim firmly down on the rubber gasket C. Instead of placing projections L and K on the side of the clamp to strike againstthe projection on the body of the casket fastener, the upper end of the body of the casket fastener can be made so that the clamp itself will strike a projection on its upper end, as shown in Figs. 6, 7 and 8, and exactly the same results will be obtained.

I find in actual use of my casket fastener, that the body of the fastener can be readily attached to the body of the casket in a firm IOO and substantial manner, and that the thumbscrews can be readily operated to operate the clamp of the fastener and at the same time the clamp can be removed from clamping the cover with facility on account of its stops which stop it in the right place; and that the clamps can be readily swung over the rim of the cover and clamped down with great force.

Having fully described the construction and operation of my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A casket fastener having the main portion or body E provided with a bracket or arm, and a device by which it can be firmly secured to the body of the casket, and also a projection on its upper portion serving as a stop to the clamp; a clamp adapted to swing over the end of the body of the fastener and over the rim of the casket cover; and a setscrew passing through the clamp and the arm or bracket on the body of the casket fastener to force down the clamp.

2. A casket fastener having the following elements: a body or main portion provided with a bracket having a screw-threaded hole in it, and also means for attaching it firmly to the body of the casket, and a stop on its upper end; a clamp with a hole through its central portion; a thumb screw passing through the hole in the clamp and through the bracket or arm of the body of the clamp; and a spring between the clamp and the arm or bracket, to hold the clamp up against the shoulder on the thumb-screw, as specified.

JOHN C. EDWARD.

Witnesses:

ALoYsIA I-IELMICH, ALLAN A. MURRAY. 

